Agila I.

Agila I ( † March 555 in Mérida ) was from December 549 to March 555 king of the Visigoths.

Agila was elected after the assassination of his predecessor Theudigisel king. The city of Córdoba rose early as the year 550 against him. Agila tried to suppress the rebellion, but the rebels gave him a severe defeat; he lost his son, the royal treasure and a large part of his army. Thus he was so weakened that it 551 was another uprising against him, led by the nobleman Athanagild. Athanagild took possession of the city of Seville and tried to overthrow Agila, which at first did not succeed. Then asked Athanagild the Eastern Roman Emperor Justinian for help. In the summer of 552 imperial troops landed under the patricius Liberius in the southern Iberian Peninsula. Together with Athanagild force they added Agila to a defeat. But they could not beat him decisively; three years the war raged until finally Agila was murdered by his own followers. Then Athanagild has been widely recognized as king. The East Romans, however, remained in the country, annexed the territories conquered by them in the former Baetica, organized as a province of Spania and received a Master of the Soldiers own, and fought in their turn against Athanagild. Only 625 succeeded the Goths, to drive out the imperial troops from southern Spain.